Three days later, the Pokes traveled to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies. This was a game the Cowboys certainly needed. I won't call today's a loss a season ender, but it really had to kill what momentum Oklahoma State had going. The Aggies aren't bad, but they aren't that good, either. They have a couple of good players and a really enthusiastic fan base. Other than that, they are mediocre in the Big 12. The Cowboys needed this. The players knew it. The coaches knew it. The fans knew it. They just didn't have it all together today. After starting 9-15 from the floor, the wheels fell off and the Pokes couldn't get it back on track. They do have one good thing to take from this game…the have winless Texas Tech next. Should be an easy win.

The loss today drops the Cowboys to 10-11 on the season with a 3-5 conference mark. The team doesn't have that easy of a road in the near future. After Tech, the Pokes have Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas in their next 5 games. Their 6th will be Bedlam in Norman. The Pokes must turn things around QUICK. Personally, I think Travis Ford should be on the hot seat. Way too much talent and tradition to not have more success than this. However, it was brought to my attention by an avid Pokes fan a couple of days ago that Ford's buyout is crazy and most likely won't be broken.

Time will tell, but I think OSU basketball is staring the NIT right in the face.

I feel that Gundy is a top 10 college football coach in the country. He's been a proven winner, he's won a Big 12 Championship and he's finally beaten big brother, Oklahoma. That being said, I feel that the state of Oklahoma boasts 2 of the top 10 coaches in the nation. What a great thing Oklahoma has going.

Coach Gundy has been involved with the football program at Oklahoma State for 20 years combined. Four years as a player and sixteen years as a coach. Since 2005, he's served as the head coach, taking over for LSU's Les Miles. In his 7 years on the Pokes sidelines, Gundy has boasted a 59-30 overall record including 23-3 in the last 2 seasons. He's coached some of the best players the country has ever seen. Some notables are: Adarius Bowman (CFL), Brandon Pettigrew (DET), Zac Robinson (CIN), Dantrell Savage (FA), Dan Bailey (DAL), Dez Bryant (DAL), Kendall Hunter (SF), Russell Okung (SEA), Jacob Lacey (IND), Brandon Weeden (NFL Draft), Justin Blackmon (NFL Draft) and a host of others.

There's no doubt in my mind, Oklahoma State football is here to stay. Gundy has a very respectable recruiting class coming in for 2012 and with the facilities OSU boasts, I would imagine it's only going to get better. The stadium's namesake, T. Boone Pickens, isn't afraid to throw millions and millions of dollars around to better not only the football team, but the entire campus. As long as this continues, OSU will be on the national map for as long as anyone.

Teach Me How To Gundy here

There is a name no one mentions when breaking this game down. Stepfan Taylor, Stanford's 5-11, 208lb bruising running back. One thing people forget about Stanford is they are run first, pass second. They just happen to have arguably college football's most accurate and dangerous passer once they set up the opposition for the pass. Taylor is a junior from Mansfield, Texas. He is in his second straight season of over 1,000 yards. He lines up behind sometimes three lead blockers and will "nickel and dime" you to death, only to have a play-action pass called where Luck loves to hit his tight ends down the middle. Taylor is the featured back, but Stanford will use 2 to 3 backs during the game to ensure fresh legs. One thing Oklahoma State has not done well is defend the run. Stanford has a great offensive line and uses it to it's advantage. If you're an Oklahoma State fan, Taylor and committee should have you as worried, if not more than Luck.

On the other side, Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith will be ready for the challenge to run it right back at Stanford. Randle's elusiveness and Smith's power will provide plenty of mismatches on Stanford's defensive side of the ball, only to set up the pass where Weeden will undoubtedly have his eyes locked on Justin Blackmon the majority of the game. Stanford hasn't faced a receiver all year like Blackmon, with maybe the small exception to Robert Woods from USC, who torched Stanford early in the year. The Cowboys need to use the tight ends in this game and continually move the ball. Turnovers aren't an option, because I just can't see the Pokes forcing The Cardinal to punt the ball that much.

Luck and Weeden's "Swan Song's" will provide a lot of emotion as both of these quarterbacks have so much passion for what they do and where they play their college football. The similarities are almost scary between these two teams. Great quarterbacks, great running backs, great coaching and sidelines full of winners.

Quarterbacks: Edge – Stanford

Running Backs: Edge – Stanford

Wide Receivers: Edge – Oklahoma State

Tight Ends: Edge – Stanford

O-Line: Edge – PUSH

D-Line: Edge – PUSH

Linebackers: Edge – Oklahoma State

Secondary: Edge – PUSH

Special Teams: Edge – Oklahoma State

Coaching: Edge – Oklahoma State

I'm probably most excited about THIS game than any game in the entire bowl season. Most people expect a high scoring, shootout. I don't completely disagree with that, but I think Stanford's ground and pound game will use a lot of the clock. This is shaped up to be an instant classic. I just hope both teams play well and leave nothing to chance on the field.

In the end, we expect fireworks, but not as many as most think:
TCS Score Prediction:

Oklahoma State Cowboys – 31
Stanford Cardinal – 27

Early on, Josh Heupel drew up an unusual offensive game plan. He came out throwing every down. The first run play was an end-around to Trey Franks that picked up two or three yards. No Roy Finch, no Brandon Williams and no Belldozer (more on this in a bit) the entire first quarter basically. Meanwhile, Weeden and company marched methodically down the field over and over putting up 10 quick points and led after one quarter, 10-0. The Pokes did whatever they wanted. Randle and Smith ran wild. Blackmon made his plays. The defense did what they've done all year and forced 5 takeaways. In a word, the Cowboys ROLLED! The Sooners would never get it any closer as OSU routed OU 44-10, and it could have been a lot worse.

What happened last night made a statement to the world. OSU isn't a one hit wonder. They are for real and will compete in the Big 12 and perhaps the national stage for many moons. Mike Gundy has this program on the straight and narrow. There's visible discipline, ball security, heart and determination in every player on the sidelines. The Cowboys have fun playing. They don't care what the spread is, who the opponent is, or what has happened in the past. Gundy has preached the "here and now" all year, and minus one second half collapse, the Pokes have been perfect this year. Still, with 1 loss, up until about an hour and a half ago, 77% of the country thought OSU should be playing in the National Championship game vs LSU including me.

When it was announced there will be a rematch of LSU vs Alabama in the title game, twitter, facebook and multiple other social media outlets flooded with hate toward the BCS. I agree folks, it's a complete mess and a joke. Sure, the Iowa State loss was terrible and Alabama's lone loss came at the hands of LSU….in Tuscaloosa….at night….in front of a national audience. I agree with Mike Gundy. "They've had their shot, give us ours". It's a quirky situation, but a rematch of maybe the most boring game of century is not something I'm fired up about watching. Saban said it himself in 2003. "Any team that doesn't win their Conference Championship has no business in the National Championship". Well, Nick, what say you now? OSU's loss came on the night the team found out their university had a national tragedy. No way were they of sound mind and body. Alabama played Penn St on the road and won. Big whoop. OSU has had the better schedule, beat more ranked teams, and would bring way more excitement to the table in New Orleans. Mark May, Craig James and numerous others are SEC bias. They want the rematch and they are morons. Yes, defense wins championships. Ever think that maybe SEC offenses just suck that bad? I think that's the main reason the defenses look so good. I will say this, LSU's defense this year is stacked.

All that said, great season for OSU. Be proud of your team. You are Big 12 Champions outright. No ties. Please, do us all a favor. Throw those Big 12 South Co-Champion rings away. That's not good. Now you have a real one. A matchup with Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal await. After I dissect this matchup more, I'll update with an article. That's all for now. I just have have to come up with more hate adjectives to come up with the BCS.

Offense:
Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon, Joseph Randle, Jeremy Smith, Michael Harrison, Josh Cooper. Did I stutter? No. These guys are ballers. They are all Big XII elite players, and what's scary, any one of them can score at any moment. OU has a lot of playmakers, too, but not near this weaponry. The Cowboys have played unbelievable on offense in particular at home. They've dismantled opponents, with the exception of Kansas State, at gold-plated T. Boone Pickens Stadium. When it rains, it pours in Stillwater. Bullett's legs have got to be tired when he takes the field on Saturdays. The players know what's at stake. The fans know what's at stake. With an offense this powerful, I don't see anything getting in the way of a huge point outbreak. The Sooners' defense has been abused more than once this year, and I'm sure Gundy's boys are watching film of the Baylor and Texas Tech game as we speak figuring out exactly where OU is most vulnerable. If the Cowboys do lose this game, it won't be from a lack of point scoring.

Takeaways:
OSU leads the nation in takeaways. Call it luck. Call it being at the right place at the right time. Call it whatever you may, but there's no denying that the Pokes flourish on takeaways, especially at home. They are notorious for giving up a 10 play – 80 yard drive and recovering a fumble or forcing an interception near their own goal line. It's really hard to explain, but game after game, they figure out a way to get the ball back in Weeden's hands. We all know how Landry can be on the road. One or two slip-ups is all it would take to win the game. I do believe it comes down to ball security on who wins this game, and we would all agree, the edge before the game would go to OSU.

Revenge:
Two weeks ago, the Cowboys were stunned in Ames, Iowa. They had their National Title hopes dashed by a freshman quarterback and a letdown on defense in the second half. There's nothing more dangerous than a team coming off of a bad loss, ruining their year. I expect the Cowboys to come out with a chip on their shoulder. I think they will want to show not only the fans, but the voters of the BCS, computers and opponents that they belong in New Orleans to play for the crystal ball. They have a home crowd. There's a ton of players who, likely, will be playing their final game in Boone Pickens. I can't see Weeden and company going out without one more fun show for the sea of orange. At this point, it's all about pride and glory. OSU isn't the OSU teams of the past. This team belongs here. They didn't luck their way here. They earned it and they will show that.

Summary:
Personally, I think the over/under will be placed somewhere around 80 points. That being said, some meteorologists are calling for a cold night with a wintry mix likely. If that's the case, the favorites are from Norman. The Sooners run the ball batter, and OSU is not very good against the run. Notice on how my keys to victory did not include "defense". OU will come out pounding the ball, and if the "Belldozer" gets his chances near the goal line, there's no way OSU will win. If the skies remain clear, I see OSU knocking off OU. Anything short of a win, and it's a letdown in Stillwater for the Pokes. Same goes for OU, too. This should be a battle for ages.

TheMayor's Prediction:
Cowboys – 42
Sooners – 34